twangmeister
Wholenote
Posts: 349
Formerly Known As: Twangmeister
Age: 72 and fading fast.....
|
Post by twangmeister on Dec 1, 2021 12:55:12 GMT -5
Last week as I was loading up the car to travel for Thanksgiving I saw what appeared to be a violin case sitting on top of our condo's loading dock "help yourself" pile. This is stuff left off to the side of the dumpster that residents and condo employees can pick from before it ends up as trash.
Turns out that there was a 1930s German or Czech-made Conn Pan American 4/4 violin with two bows and accessories. It appeared well-used with a crack running from the lower bout to the F-hole. I glued the crack with Titebond II, put on a fresh set of strings and rosined up the bow. It is good to go.
A couple of years ago I picked up a battered late 19th century violin with casket case at an antique store but didn't get far in making it playable. It was going to be a wall hanger at our summer place. The tuners were turn-of- the-century adjustable tension models. obviously not original. And it had no bow. So with the spare bow from my junkpile find and some cheap parts I am in the process of making it playable as well.
I don't have any violin training but I do play some mandolin and my granddaughter who does play violin will give me some pointers. I had picked up the older violin as a project and planned to learn violin. Now with my new find I am teaching myself to play. My wife better be patient.
|
|
mikem
Wholenote
Musician soundman musician soundman
Posts: 231
|
Post by mikem on Dec 6, 2021 19:20:32 GMT -5
12 yrs ago I took her to her weekly dance class. (They were preparing for the upcoming spring recital.) A week earlier, we received a notice that the studio was looking for some old instruments to use as "props" for the recital.
As I am sitting in the waiting room a lady (buddy of mine's wife) walks in with an old violin case. I asked her about it and it was my buddy's grandfather's violin and had be hanging in the basement. She brought it in to be used as a prop....
My daughter was studying violin at that time as was due to upgrade to a 4/4 (full) size.
I took a look at the instrument; fingerboard was unglued, bows were warped/toast.....but...no cracks...
I asked her if I could buy it for my daughter and she told me that she also had her daughter's "shiney" violin "It's way better than this old thing..." if I wanted that instead...well...
I brought the "prop-violin" to a violin maker friend of mine and it was an original 1922 Ernst Heinrich Roth violin.
I gave my buddy $500 for it.
I had new bridge cut for it, new sound post, fingerboard re-glued, new strings ($225 worth of work).
Appraised value of $8500 from 10 years ago...
The violin played (and still plays) beautifully; dark/full/rich!!
To this day my daughter plays in trios/quartets for events. She sounds great....
If I had not been at that particular dance class (my wife and I would take turns taking our daughter) that violin would have ended up being used as a prop, banged around, cracked, and in the landfill.
I saved that violin...
|
|
|
|
Post by Peegoo 🏁 on Dec 8, 2021 8:38:03 GMT -5
That is soooo cool. Saving any instrument from an unceremonious landfill burial is saintly work.
Even if it doesn't stick for you, you can pass it forward to a happy person taking violin lessons.
Bravo!
|
|
|
|
Post by funkykikuchiyo on Dec 8, 2021 9:43:55 GMT -5
I've seen good deals on violins come up and have been tempted to nab one (a fixer-upper isn't a problem for me), but have so far resisted since I have neighbors.
|
|
|
|
Post by Leftee on Dec 8, 2021 10:05:41 GMT -5
I have 2 kits from Stewy waiting in the wings.
|
|
twangmeister
Wholenote
Posts: 349
Formerly Known As: Twangmeister
Age: 72 and fading fast.....
|
Post by twangmeister on Dec 11, 2021 8:53:04 GMT -5
That is great, Mike.
I have a tendancy to "adopt" neglected and abused string instruments. I may have been influenced by my childhood. Our family farm had a bunch of "legacy instreuments" including my great-great grandfather's 1830's cello in the attic, great grandfather's pre-Civil War concertina, grandfather's ebony flute and my mother's 1934 Gibson LC-1 guitar. Only my mother's guitar left with us when we moved away. And that was stolen in 1978.
My loading dock find is now fully playable and when my 11 year-old violin-playing granddaughter arrives for the weekend I will ask her to give me some pointers. I can play a bit of mandolin stuff so the fingering is not totally alien. Got the wall hanger 1880s violin playable but I will have to get creative with repairing the pegbox.
|
|
mikem
Wholenote
Musician soundman musician soundman
Posts: 231
|
Post by mikem on Feb 18, 2022 9:24:30 GMT -5
A continuation of my 12.6.21 above:
My "violin maker friend" referred me to an associate of his that builds violins but also does repairs.
It was rather interesting dealing with the repair guy:
I called him and he suggested that I bring the instrument to his shop to see "if he WOULD work on it".
On the phone I told him that Ray (my friend) referred me to him after inspecting the instrument......but HE wanted to be sure.....
I visited the shop, he inspected the instrument "ah yes, a Roth....",,,, ok, I'll work on it...
Interesting fellow indeed.
Definitely not the mechanic that works on my vehicles.
|
|
twangmeister
Wholenote
Posts: 349
Formerly Known As: Twangmeister
Age: 72 and fading fast.....
|
Post by twangmeister on Feb 21, 2022 17:34:03 GMT -5
A continuation of my 12.6.21 above: My "violin maker friend" referred me to an associate of his that builds violins but also does repairs. It was rather interesting dealing with the repair guy: I called him and he suggested that I bring the instrument to his shop to see "if he WOULD work on it". On the phone I told him that Ray (my friend) referred me to him after inspecting the instrument......but HE wanted to be sure..... I visited the shop, he inspected the instrument "ah yes, a Roth....",,,, ok, I'll work on it... Interesting fellow indeed. Definitely not the mechanic that works on my vehicles. Never have had the luxury of choosing my patients in an emergency room. LOL |
|
